Paris’ ambitious mayor has a new “green dream” after the spectacular success of his bike-sharing scheme launched a year ago: a version for electric cars.
Under Bertrand Delanoe’s environmentally friendly plan, a driver could pick up a car, say, on the Left Bank, snake up the slopes of Montmartre, then drop it off — and only pay for the minutes spent behind the wheel.
But cars, even electric, are already proving more divisive than bikes.
With the price of gas steadily rising and Paris parking a permanent headache, some drivers are delighted by the new project.
Others see it as a step backward, fearing it could mean more traffic and dependence on cars in an already congested city.
The program dubbed Autolib’ will be launched late next year or in 2010, with a fleet of 4,000 electric cars — 2,000 within Paris and 2,000 in the city’s suburbs. As with the Velib’ bike-sharing program, Autolib’ users would be able to rent cars from one of 700 planned lots, both under and above ground, and drop them off at any other lot.
Organizers say it is too early to discuss details such as how the lots would be monitored or whether non-French driver’s licenses would be accepted.
Annick Lepetit, deputy mayor in charge of transportation, said Autolib’ would target those who are considering buying their first automobile — in the hopes of deterring them from ever buying a polluting car. By putting lots in the suburbs, it would also encourage occasional commuters to choose a gasoline-free alternative to getting downtown.
She cited a recent survey showing that a majority of Parisians were in favor of a car-sharing project like Autolib’.
Yet some members of the Green Party have been vocal critics, even though the Autolib’ project calls for electric cars. They want to reduce car use, period.
Denis Beaupin, a Green deputy mayor for the environment, occupied Lepetit’s job before her and saw the birth of the bike-sharing program through.
He says the Greens would rather see a system where shared cars were returned to the lots from which they were hired, to ensure that they are only used in exceptional situations.
But Pascal Husting, president of Greenpeace France, says he thinks Autolib’ would be a step in the right direction.
“Today we have consumer habits, whether it’s going to Ikea or elsewhere, which necessitate that once in a while, even those who can’t afford cars need to use one, and in this sense I think this will complement public transportation,” he said.
DITCH TACTICS: Kenyan officers were on their way to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch suspected to have been deliberately dug by Haitian gang members A Kenyan policeman deployed in Haiti has gone missing after violent gangs attacked a group of officers on a rescue mission, a UN-backed multinational security mission said in a statement yesterday. The Kenyan officers on Tuesday were on their way to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch “suspected to have been deliberately dug by gangs,” the statement said, adding that “specialized teams have been deployed” to search for the missing officer. Local media outlets in Haiti reported that the officer had been killed and videos of a lifeless man clothed in Kenyan uniform were shared on social media. Gang violence has left
US Vice President J.D. Vance on Friday accused Denmark of not having done enough to protect Greenland, when he visited the strategically placed and resource-rich Danish territory coveted by US President Donald Trump. Vance made his comment during a trip to the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, a visit viewed by Copenhagen and Nuuk as a provocation. “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Vance told a news conference. “You have under-invested in the people of Greenland, and you have under-invested in the security architecture of this
A fire caused by a burst gas pipe yesterday spread to several homes and sent a fireball soaring into the sky outside Malaysia’s largest city, injuring more than 100 people. The towering inferno near a gas station in Putra Heights outside Kuala Lumpur was visible for kilometers and lasted for several hours. It happened during a public holiday as Muslims, who are the majority in Malaysia, celebrate the second day of Eid al-Fitr. National oil company Petronas said the fire started at one of its gas pipelines at 8:10am and the affected pipeline was later isolated. Disaster management officials said shutting the
Japan unveiled a plan on Thursday to evacuate around 120,000 residents and tourists from its southern islets near Taiwan within six days in the event of an “emergency”. The plan was put together as “the security situation surrounding our nation grows severe” and with an “emergency” in mind, the government’s crisis management office said. Exactly what that emergency might be was left unspecified in the plan but it envisages the evacuation of around 120,000 people in five Japanese islets close to Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has stepped up military pressure in recent years, including
RSS